Category

Best Search Marketing Campaign

This category awards the best campaigns in driving more and better qualified internet traffic to brands’ online presence through natural search engine result page listings, paid advertising placement, and/or mobile. The strongest entries feature a clear, innovative ‘search’ strategy that connects more consumers to the brand based on a pre-defined success metrics to create a highly profitable search marketing campaign.

Best Use of Data

This category awards the optimized use of data analytics to solve business problems and provide new business opportunities across the marketing/communication spectrum. The strongest entries feature a clear approach to insight mining from the set data and how these insights contributed to positive impact on the campaign and brand.

Best Performance Campaign

This category awards successful campaigns that demonstrate a sound lead generation strategy with proven results to deliver on pre-set objectives. The strongest entries feature a clear approach and execution with tangible results of digital media strategies across platforms.

Best use of Cross-platform Digital Content

This category awards successful ideas in creation of omni-channel digital content across different digital platforms and devices to continue & enhance meaningful consumer engagement.

GROUP 2: MOBILE

Mobile categories honor work done to further the brands’ engagements of audiences via mobile devices, technologies and platforms where the execution and results influence the overall success of the entry.

Best Application (Mobile/Tablet)

This category recognizes the best mobile apps on any platform (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry) that demonstrate originality, newness, and innovation either as a standalone development or part of a bigger campaign. The strongest entries feature a flawless execution starting with the build to the final launch and adoption of the app with tangible results that support the pre-set objectives.

Best Use of Mobile

This category recognized the most successful use of mobile devices ( such as media, content, and engagement tactics on this platform) as a means to achieve campaign objectives. The strongest entries highlight innovation, creativity and engagement in campaign execution with tangible results.

Best Use of Mobile Commerce

This category recognizes efforts made in the foray of B2B and/or B2C mobile payment services (such as but not limited to NFC, SMS Mobile payments etc.). The strongest entries highlight the contribution and impact made to evolving consumer behavior beyond traditional retail and e-commerce across industries.

GROUP 3: SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media categories honor work done to further the brands’ engagements of audiences to build communities of content and conversation across any and all social media platforms. The strongest entries are those that demonstrate creative and innovative/creative approaches to social media strategy and channel planning with tangible impact.

Best Use of Social Media

This category recognizes all social media efforts in standalone or part of a campaign that were utilized to build successful brands. The strongest entries demonstrate well thought out channel and content strategies that work in synergy to achieve campaign objectives. This category is divided into 3 sub-categories based on the total budget spent:

A: Best Use of Social Media – Small Budget -< USD 20,000
B: Best Use of Social Media – Medium Budget USD 20,001 – USD 100,000
C: Best Use of Social Media – Big Budget > USD 100,001

Best Use of Video

This category recognizes the innovative new use of video (such as pre-rolls, mobile video, social ‘snackable videos’, co-creation etc.) as standalone or part of a bigger campaign. The strongest entries should demonstrate how their use of video has effectively contributed to an overall social media campaign success.

Best Viral Campaign

This category recognizes campaigns that have generated buzz and awareness in record time with emphasis on utilizing digital/social platforms.

GROUP 4: INTEGRATED

Integrated categories honor the synergy and effectiveness of communications to deliver holistic brand experiences to consumers from all aspects of planning, ideation, messaging to creativity/innovation and media amplification. The most successful integrated campaigns are evaluated with equal emphasis on strategy, innovation/creativity, execution, and results.

Best Integrated Digital Campaign

This category recognizes best holistic digital campaigns that demonstrate how at least two digital platforms and media channels work together to achieve results. The strongest entries are those that showcase seamless synergy of the campaign elements on strategy, innovation/creativity, execution, and results.

Best Integrated Media Campaign

This category recognizes the best holistic integrated media campaign encompassing both online and traditional media. The strongest entries are those that showcase seamless synergy of the campaign elements on strategy, innovation/creativity, execution, and results.

GROUP 5: SPECIAL

Special categories recognize work in digital across industries and marketing disciplines either as a tactical effort or an integrated campaign that involves one or more digital technique. The most successful special categories are evaluated with emphasis on strategy and results.

Digital PR

This category recognizes Public Relations communications that utilize digital techniques. The strongest entries showcase the evolution of traditional PR activities to include digital/social platforms to engage stakeholders with tangible impact.

Digital Cause Marketing

This category recognizes efforts in all areas of CSR / cause marketing where the campaign includes any and all forms of digital techniques and channels. The strongest entries highlight the role of digital media and platforms in supporting the cause’ goals.

Digital Activation

This category recognizes efforts in digitally driven brand, product or service activations (either as one-offs or as part of a campaign) and credits their results in driving the brand/business.

GROUP 6: DIGITAL ASSETS

Digital Assets category recognizes the best digital innovation in online by the best use of technology mixed with UX/UI design in order to create the best digital assets. Here we will honor the best mix between solid back-end and technology use with cutting edge UX/UI and design, mix that results in innovative digital assets. The most successful Digital Assets Categories are evaluated with emphasis on Creativity/Innovation and Execution.

Best Web Platform

This category recognizes outstanding web platforms (such as Websites, Microsites and Web Apps, etc.) provided for a brand/product/services or being part of a campaign. Here we will look at the build quality of the website, UX approach, technology selected, degree of customization, multi platform adaptation, utility etc.

Best Online Banner

This category recognizes the execution of online banners either as a standalone execution or part of a bigger campaign. Here we will look from original approach towards banner usage (from live streaming in banners up to real time data usage in banners etc.) up to the contextual value of the banner (message and execution synergy with media space bought)

Best Digital Point of Sales

This recognizes the stand-out piece in how the channel conveniently connects the consumers thru digital point of sale (such as BTL, Events, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality). Here we will look at how digital has been used to enhance the BTL brand presence and overall consumer experience.

Best Mobile App

This recognizes the best mobile app which exhibit how an original or advanced the mobile or tablet application has been useful to its users. The app should be accessible and efficient to the customers and also demonstrate originality in technology used, UX design and design in general, device sensors usage (if the case), after download and after campaign usage (long time usage) etc.

Best Facebook App

This recognizes the best use of Facebook in a marketing campaign. Submissions must demonstrate the efficacy of the campaign and the originality in the app mechanics, UX and build.

Best Game App

This category recognizes the best gaming experience of any handheld device, Mobile sites or apps, Free to play games and Social games as well as most traditional games in the industry.The jury will mainly look at the execution of the game in terms of game idea, game mechanics, graphics, overall user experience (both visual and techincal wise), engagement and also technologies used.

Best Use of Technology

This category awards the innovative use of tech. The best work should emphasise on how technology is used to deliver action orientated communications or experiences that have a tangible effect.

GROUP 7: BEST USE OF DIGITAL BY SECTOR

Best Use of Digital by Sector Categories honor the synergy and effectiveness of using digital platforms and channels to deliver holistic brand experience in their sector. The best entries should provide evidence of how the work/campaign stands out from its sector peers. In this category, entries are evaluated with equal emphasis on strategy, innovation/creativity, execution, and results.

A: Automotive
B: Financial and Banking
C: FMCG
D: Retail
E: Travel, sport and entertainment
F: Technology/telecommunications
J: Charity, NGO or NFP
H: Healthcare
I: Media
J: Oil and Gas *NEW
K: Beauty and Personal Care *NEW

L: Education *NEW

GRAND PRIX

One Grand Prix is granted at the MENA Digital Awards and it goes to the highest scoring gold winning entry regardless of category.

In the cases that no gold awards are awarded, there will not be a Grand Prix trophy.

Agency of the Year and Network of the Year

Agency of the Year and Network of the Year goes to the highest overall scoring Agency and Network as per the below scheme.

The winning Agency of the Year do not necessarily ensure Network of the Year status as the overall points by all of the Networks’ Agencies are taken into consideration to determine Network of the Year

Grand Prix: 11 points

Gold: 9 points

Silver: 7 points

Bronze: 5 points

Shortlist: 3 points

Agency of the Year

If a shortlisted or winning entry has both Lead Agency and Support agency, the points awarded to the entry will be divided and allocated equally among the agencies credited. The Entry can have more than One Support Agency.

Network of the Year

If a shortlisted or winning entry has both Lead Agency and Support agency, the points awarded to the entry will be divided and allocated equally among the agencies credited. If the agencies sharing the points are from the same Network, the total will go to that Network.

Nevertheless, if Agency A belongs to Network A and wins an MDA Award with Agency B (which belongs to Network B), then the points will be divided and shared equally between both Networks.

If Agency A belongs to Network A but the second agency is independent half the points will go to Network A. The Entry can have more than One Support Agency.

The MENA Digital Awards (MDA) is a bespoke awards show whose purpose is to promote digital innovation and media in the MENA region. It is the first awards show to honor digital efforts of global agencies and global clients in the region.

Buy a Pass

Enter your work